The present invention provides novel compositions comprising aseptic hydrated emulsifiers useful for post fermentation addition to dairy products especially cultured dairy products such as stirred style yogurt. The hydrated emulsifiers are useful in the preparation of a structurally stable aerated refrigerated food product, more specifically a structurally stable aerated dairy product with visual aircells.
Refrigerated cultured dairy products especially stirred style yogurt products having live or active yogurt cultures are well known. Such yogurt products can be aerated to provide “whipped” yogurt products desirably characterized by a light airy, or fluffy texture. However, such aerated yogurt products are subject to destabilization over their shelf lives. In particular, aerated yogurt products are subject to changes or degradation in aerated texture due to changes in the foam structure of the aerated structure making it difficult to retain an airy, fluffy texture of the aerated yogurt product over time.
Ingredients can be added to a milk blend from which yogurt is cultured that affect the finished product's attributes such as texture and/or aeration. However, such added ingredients in the milk blend can adversely affect important preparation considerations such as fermentation times. Some added ingredients can adversely inhibit culture growth thereby undesirably lengthening fermentation times.
The present invention provides hydrated emulsifiers that are usefully added to already cultured dairy products. Since the hydrated emulsifiers are added post fermentation, such addition does not adversely lengthen fermentation times. However, for such post fermentation addition, the added ingredients must be aseptic since the cultured dairy products will receive no further heat processing.
Interfaces are a pervasive feature of foods. Three specific kinds of interfaces are of particular importance in foods: liquid-liquid, or emulsions; air-liquid, or foams; and solid-liquid, or dispersions. Controlling the physical nature of an interface is crucial in making a high-quality food product and is frequently achieved by including emulsifiers among the ingredients. The present invention provides a method and a novel hydrated emulsifier composition particularly useful in the air-liquid interface, specifically food foams such as for example an aerated yogurt product.
Food foams are usually made by whipping an aqueous solution of a foaming agent such as a protein or an emulsifier in a food product base. Air is first entrained by the action of a mechanical element and then air bubbles are elongated and subdivided into smaller bubbles as a result of the protein or emulsifier. Air is a nonpolar medium. Emulsifiers concentrate at the air-water interface, and the hydrophobic portion extends into the gas phase.
Although emulsifiers useful in the air-liquid interface are well known, it will be appreciated that an emulsifier blend capable of assisting in the creation of a structurally stable, texturally appealing aerated cultured dairy product such as an aerated yogurt has not been easily ascertained. Surprisingly, although one of the ingredients selected for the emulsifier blend is known to enhance the destabilization and agglomeration of fat globules thereby promoting the formation of stable foam in ice cream, dairy and recombined creams, and rehydrated toppings, it was not previously known to enhance the stability of the air hydrophobic phase. The air hydrophobic phase is a critical phase for the development of a stable aerated yogurt product. The present selected emulsifier blends are surprisingly useful in providing aerated refrigerated cultured dairy products.
Not only are the organoleptic attributes of the aerated dairy products surprisingly pleasing but also these pleasing eating characteristics and the foam properties are maintained over the shelf lives of the aerated products.
In its method aspect, the present invention described herein comprises methods for preparing improved hydrated aseptic emulsifier compositions, such that the improved hydrated emulsifier is useful in creating a texturally appealing, structurally stable aerated dairy product, such as aerated yogurt.